Premier League footballers have not lost that gloving feeling

With temperatures plummeting across the country in recent days, football fans and players alike have been forced to take extreme measures to avoid the cold, and Press Association Sport has carried out its own winter warmers survey.

Footballers have been known to accessorise in the cold, with the snood an example of extreme measures taken before they were banned in 2011, and reporters at Premier League grounds have totted up the weird and wonderful ways the players kept warm this weekend.

Things got under way between Tottenham and Sunderland at White Hart Lane on Saturday lunchtime with temperatures hovering around 5C and a low sun causing problems for Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal, but things got gradually worse up and down the country as the day went on.

With temperatures set to drop further in coming days, MeteoGroup (a team of meteorologists) has suggested this is just the start of a sustained cold spell.

A spokesperson said on Saturday: “It’s the middle of winter so these sorts of cold spells are not unusual, but we’ve not had a particularly cold winter so far, so expect it (this cold snap) to stay for a while.

“Temperatures are expected to reach freezing tonight and the coldest parts and most affected will be in the north-east of England.”

The spokesperson added: “It is milder this weekend than in recent days, but expect that to change as the sleet and snow moves down from Scotland and Cumbria towards central England.”

Erik Lamela and Patrick van Aanholt were the only men to keep their gloves on during Saturday’s early kick-off, opting for the bizarre combination of short sleeves and gloves – something which was repeated throughout the day.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa was the only home player to start the game at Stamford Bridge with his woollies on but quickly took them off, while England manager Roy Hodgson styled it out in a scarf as he took up a watching brief in the stands and Roman Abramovich sported a big Champions League puffer jacket as his club hosted Everton.

The bitter cold of Manchester may have spread to Wayne Hennessey’s fingertips as the Crystal Palace goalkeeper let a Fabian Delph shot beneath his body as temperatures reached freezing point.

With snow beginning to fall at the Etihad Stadium, there were six outfield players in total keeping their digits warm – the highest aggregate on Saturday. The ‘hairdryer treatment’ may have been well received among the Palace players after they lost 4-0.

Two of the Premier League’s most charismatic managers did not disappoint as they chose to deviate from normal touchline gear. Slaven Bilic took his seat on the West Ham bench at Newcastle with a beanie hat pulled tight over his head, while Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp kept his neck warm with a club snood against Manchester United on Sunday.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend came at Stoke on Sunday evening. The Potters – once well known for their old-fashioned approach to the game – showed just how far they have come since the Tony Pulis days by sending out four players with gloves on, whereas Pulis’ influence saw West Brom brave the cold weather as one of four clubs without a glove in sight.

In total, there were 29 sets of gloves on display over the weekend, interestingly with just three English players (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Lennon and Wilfried Zaha) among them.

Here are the results, starting with those most affected:

1. Manchester City (at home to Crystal Palace), five pairs of gloves, temperature 1C

2. Stoke (at home to Arsenal), four pairs of gloves, temperature 1C

3. Everton (away at Chelsea), four pairs of gloves, temperature 5C

4. West Ham (away at Newcastle), three pairs of gloves and a beanie, temperature 2C

5. Arsenal (away at Stoke), two pairs of gloves, temperature 1C

6. Manchester United (away at Liverpool), two pairs of gloves, temperature 2C

7. Aston Villa (at home to Leicester), two pairs of gloves, temperature 3C